Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Sweet Miso Dressing

Cabbage keeps well for long periods of time but still this is no excuse for the fact that 2/3 of a head of this leafy green has been inhabiting my fridge for two months. Scary! I even moved the cabbage with me when I changed apartments three weeks ago. Yes, indeed, I am very fond of this particular head of cabbage. But it was time to let it go and last night I made this wonderful crunchy cabbage salad inspired by Heidi Swanson's Chopped Miso Salad recipe.

Hmmm... All the interesting things about cabbage I just learned on Wikipedia! Cabbage, apparently is from the mustard family and has originated in the Mediterranean by selective breeding of wild mustard plants for suppressed intermode length. It was known to the ancient Greek and Romans and was praised for its medicinal properties. The powdery, waxy finish on the leaves is called bloom, the bitterness is due to glucosinolate, and it is rich in riboflavin, vitamin C and glutamine. China is the largest producer of cabbage in the world, followed by India and Russia. South Korea is fourth (kimchi?) and Poland is 6th (cabbage rolls, anyone?). And now that we have covered the basics on cabbage, lets get to the recipe.

Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Miso Dressing

1 smallish head of cabbage
1 bunch chives, chopped
1 C almonds, pan roasted and chopped
1 C cooked garbanzo beans (optional)

Dressing:
2 Tbs miso (I used red miso)
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp mustard
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 C rice vinegar
1/4 C olive oil

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients except the olive oil, in a small jar or in a blender. Mix well. Add the oil. Shake the jar or blend until well mixed. This makes about twice as much dressing as you will need for the salad. I very much liked the dressing and will use it on other salads, but if you don't want extra then halve the recipe.

Chop the cabbage in very, very small pieces. I chopped it like a big onion - cut it in half, put each half flat on the cutting beard and put 5-6 not all-the-way-through cuts lengthwise (from the core to the tip) and then I sliced it very thinly starting from the tip. When I got to the core, I cut around it. Cabbage is usually way too hard and fibrous for me so I always give it my secret family treatment - I put the chopped cabbage confetti in a bowl, salted them lightly and kneaded then for a minute. This can be done with one or both hands, you basically squeeze the cabbage and mix it, squeeze and mix until it's all softened up. The motion is really very similar to kneading. Add the chives, almonds and beans. Add the dressing, toss, chill. This salad can easily keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

This can easily be made into a left-overs salad - a meal to take care of all of last week's Farmer's Marked odds and ends. The dressing is slightly sweet but bright from the vinegar. It goes very well with the cabbage, but you can easily also add lettuce (finely chopped), blanched green and wax beans (cut into 1/2 inch pieces), peas, asparagus, cucumber (chopped into matchsticks), green onions, other green herbs.

The garbanzo beans are optional - I wanted to make a meal out of the salad - and can be substituted with some other type of beans (like navy beans or baby lima beans). I very much recommend that you just buy a pound of dry beans, cook them with some salt and keep them in the fridge or freezer for adding to soups and salads instead of buying the canned stuff which is (a) way more expensive and (b) way worse tasting. You can substitute the beans with stir-fried extra firm tofu too (or maybe even chicken but don't quote me on that).

De-li-cious! Next on my list of summer adventures? Panzanella!

Giving Thanks

I give thanks for the pumpkins (technically butternut squash), for the chocolate, for the beans. I give thanks for all the delicious food on my table and for the food that is burnt, overcooked, undersalted and the lessons learned along the way. I give thanks for having a roof over my head, a soft bed, a spacious kitchen. I give thanks to my housemates who bear with me and wash some of my dishes. I give thanks for having wonderful friends whom I love very much. I give thanks to whoever needs to be thanked that my family is well. I give thanks to the American people for finally coming to their senses and voting for change. And I give thanks to the Universe for us all being here.

Bean and Squash Mole from Denis Cotter's Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me via 101 Cookbooks

3 C butternut squash, cut in cubes
3 C cooked beans
28 oz can diced tomatoes
5-6 big kale leaves, cut in strips
3-4 Tbs butter
some olive oil
4+ jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 1/2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2-4 Tbs paprika
2 oz almonds, roasted and finely ground
3.2 oz chocolate bar, 70% cocoa

Heat oven to 350 F. Toss the squash with some olive oil and spread in a 9x13 baking pan. Bake ~20-30 minutes, unill it starts caramelizing but is still firm. In the mean time melt butter in a large pan and saute onions and jalapenos for ~15 minutes until onions star caramelizing. Add paprika and garlic and stir until fragrant. Add tomatoes. Bring to boil and let it simmer down for ~10 minutes, depending on how liquidy the tomatoes are - you do not want a dry dish! Add beans, chocolate and almonds and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Turn heat off, set aside and steam the kale. To assemble, pour the bean mixture in a 9x13 pan or a large casserole dish, spread the squash pieces and kale evenly over the top and stir everything lightly. This way the colors are preserved and the dish is so much more beautiful instead of turning it into a brown mush. Cover with foil and put in the oven at ~200 F until heated throughout. Serves 8 as a generous side-dish.

Notes: I used brown Tepary beans from Native Seeds and they worked wonderfully - the flavor of the beans matched well with the chocolate. The jalapenos didn't make the dish spicy, not at all, contrary to my expectations. I think I may toss a little bit of cayene pepper next time. Because there will definitely be a next time. This dish was so very delicious, people were getting second servings which means a lot when there are ~30 dishes on the table!

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake via Epicurious.com

For crust:
3/4 C graham cracker crumbs (5 crackers)
1/2 C pecans, finely chopped
1/4 C packed light brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 C unsalted butter

For filling:
1 1/2 C pumpkin pure
3 large eggs
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
2 Tbs heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs bourbon
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature

Invert bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (to create flat bottom, which will make it easier to remove cake from pan), then lock on side and butter pan. Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pan, then chill crust, 1 hour.

Heat oven to 500 F. Seriously. Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and liqueur in a bowl until combined. Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, then add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth. Pour filling into crust, smoothing top. Place in oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 500 F. Turn the oven down to 200 F and bake for another 40 minutes. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and bring to room temperature before serving. Serve with roasted pecans and Bourbon-caramel Sauce. Serves 12-16. Despite the startling baking instructions and my fear that I have burnt the crust beyond recognitions this cheesecake came out amazing to say the least. The sheer fact that it is already gone while we still have leftovers from everything else we cooked for Thankgiving is a testimony to how "can-i-have-one-more-piece" it was.

A spoonful of each. Sage mashed potatoes.










Cornbread muffins. The adult's table.









Waldorf salad. Yes, that kind of Thanksgiving.

Hummmmmmus!

Yet another all time favorite, a bowl of home made hummus makes an appearance at pretty much every gathering of more than four people at my house. It is so quick and easy to make that I have (almost) sworn I will never pay money for hummus. This recipe or some version of it came from an old issue of Gourmet magazine:

Basic Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans
1 Tbs tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2+ tsp cumin
salt to taste

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans but reserve the water in the can. Put all ingredients in the blender. While blending, pour the reserved water little by little in the blender, until the mixture is smooth - usually 1/3 to 1/2 of the water. Be careful not to make it too runny. If you'd like less of a punch, cut back on the lemon juice. Add more cumin, up to 1 tsp, or more garlic if you'd like to emphasize them. Please, please, please, do not substitute oil for the tahini! Tahini is usually sold in Middle Eastern stores and is not all that expensive (~$2.99-$3.99). It gives hummus the creamy texture I absolutely adore (and you will too). Just stir before using.

A variation would be to use roasted garlic. It has a milder taste, so I would suggest 5-6-7-8 cloves, and maybe a little easier on the lemon juice so that the garlic would stand out. Despite the picture above, I prefer to wrap the garlic in foil with some olive oil when roasting it. Putting it directly on the grill does the job, but dries it out too much.

Well, last week I finally decided to go beyond the basic hummus recipe I have been whipping up incessantly for the last three years and try to mix things up a little but flavor-wise. I explored some of the offerings at the Farmer's Market, looked through Epicurious.com and FoodNetwork.com and perused the hummus section of the grocery store in search for ideas, I read the lengthy Wikipedia entry on hummus. And of course, I reminisced about some very tasty hummus variations gifted by a friend earlier this year. Finally I decided to go for something simple this time - Red Pepper Hummus, and maybe build up in time.

Red Pepper Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans
1 red bell pepper, grilled, peeled, seeded
1 Tbs tahini
1/8 cup lemon juice
1-2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Prepare in the same manner as the basic recipe. Serve with pita bread (this doesn't go well with fresh veggies) or on a sandwich with some grilled eggplant. Yum!

Other ideas? Pine nuts and parsley or rosemary... Mint and lime... Olives... Ginger and caramelized onions (oh...)... What else? Any ideas?

And while we are on the topic of hummus, if you find yourself hungry in Manhattan, be sure to pay a visit to the Hummus Place, a hummus restaurant which now has three locations - East Village, West Village and Upper West Side. I had the pleasure to visit the original location on 99 McDougal Str. a couple of years ago and still have very fond memories of the best hummus I have ever tasted. And make sure you get the roasted pine nuts!

PS. Other flavors tried: black olives and rosemary (fabulous), pumpkin, nutmeg and a bit of black pepper (interesting)

Secret Healthful Ingredient Brownies

I was telling my housemate that I was planning on making brownies which had a secret ingredient and she laughed - apparently her Mom had used the "Secret Healthful Ingredient" method with her youngest sister in an effort to sneak something more nutritious than Mac'n'Cheese in her diet by making cookies with white beans. Now, I have no intention to do any such thing to my friends and housemates, for the most part they are all sufficiently nourished, but this recipe was so interesting and unusual that I wanted to try it. What is the secret ingredient? Black beans. So here are the Black Bean Brownies from Baking with Agave Nectar via 101 Cookbooks. Drum-roll, please....

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 C unsalted butter
2 C soft-cooked black beans, drained well
1 C walnuts, chopped
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/8 C + some more instant coffee
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 large eggs
1 to 1 1/4 C light agave nectar

Notes on ingredients: I cooked the beans but I guess canned (probably 2 cans, drained and rinsed) beans would also work; I also used instant coffee (Nescafe), if you like a strong coffee flavor add more; if the batter seems unsweet, add more agave nectar.

How to make them: melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in impromptu double boiler stirring until no solid clumps are left. In a food processor add the beans, salt, vanilla, half the walnuts and part of the butter-chocolate melt and pulse until well pureed. In a bowl beat the eggs and the agave nectar, add the rest of the chocolate-butter mix, add the bean mixture and the rest of the walnuts. Mix everything well
(with a spoon, the batter it pretty thick). Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and oil it lightly or spray it lightly with canola oil cooking spray. Spoon the mixture in and spread well. If you are feeling creative, save 1/2 cup of the eggs-nectar mix and pour it on top of the panned mix and swirl it lightly - that will create white swirls. Bake for 30-40-50 minutes, until the brownies are set and your house is filled with the fragrance of chocolate. Cool, refrigerate, cut. The brownies were really soft and moist out of the oven (I thought I had underbaked them) but they will definitely set after being in the fridge overnight.

I am personally not a big brownie fan but these were actually quite tasty. They are moist and not overwhelmingly sweet (which turned me off brownies to begin with) so you can distinguish the chocolate and coffee flavors and explore the texture as you let them slowly melt in your mouth. Now, I would not say they are healthy considering the large amounts of butter, eggs and chocolate which went in them, but they definitely have a couple healthy ingredients.

Black beans are rich in fiber and protein all for only 227 Kcal per cup as I just found (pass me another brownie). They also contain iron, manganese and antioxidants. Yey! Feeling healthier already.

Now what is this agave nectar stuff? Agave nectar or syrup is the processed sap of the agave plant. It is used as a honey substitute by vegans and and has the same sweetness as honey but lower viscosity. I used light agave syrup which had very mild flavor. There is also dark or amber syrup which I guess has a stronger flavor. Raw varieties (processed at temperatures below 118F) are popular among raw foodies. Agave nectar is high in fructose so drink/use responsibly or you might get a sugar high. If you can't hunt down any agave syrup (I found it at Whole Foods) feel free to substitute it 1:1 with honey. Do not substitute with sugar because that will offset the liquids to solids ratio of the recipe.

These brownies breached a whole new field of desserts for me - flourless cakes - which is apparently quite well populated. There seem to be several different branches to flourless cakes also referred to as tortes. To maintain cake-like consistency some contain ground nuts, some contain breadcrumbs (now, that's just cheating) and some (actually all) ask for ludicrous amounts of eggs. Seriously, this Flourless Chocolate Cake with Toasted Hazelnuts and Brandied Cherries is a heart attach just waiting to happen (but I will bookmark it anyways). So in retrospect, these brownies are actually quite healthy.

So, anyone want some brownies? I am serious though unwilling to ship.